Popeye Was Right =)

SPINACH ROCKS!!! I use spinach in everything! Salads, soups, eggs, chili, pancakes, smoothies, whatever I can cram the green stuff in without too much notice. 

After the family has had its fill with fresh spinach, I freeze the rest!  I have found this is the easiest way to use it daily.  If you chop it right out of the freezer, it can be as small as an herb in a few minutes. 

I think spinach has a mild enough flavor that most people don't even notice the extra added gem except for the color! The Irish would agree more green the better. =))

I am what I am, 
Bretta

Chicken Soup from Stock

This is where it gets fun for me. 

Hopefully you enjoyed the slow cooker chicken from the other day. 

But wait there's more. (My infomercial impression.)

After  dinner clean the meat off the bone and store. 

Throw all the chicken parts back into the slow cooker (yea for not having to clean the slow cooker right now!!)

Add a bottle of almond champagne (I love you Jess, but I could not stomach the almond champagne but I did find a good use for it :)

and top off with water, set it to slow and long and leave it for the night. 

The next morning strain and refrigerate.

When you're ready; that night or within the week it's time to make chicken soup. 

Heat stock in a large pot with the chicken you cleaned off the bone and a cup of corn. 

Prepare toppings.

Have each person put desired toppings in bowl and ladle hot soup over. 

Soup
Stock from slow cooker chicken
left over chicken from slow cooker chicken
1 cup corn

Toppings
Avocado, sliced
Cheese, cheddar and mozzarella mixed
Flax Tortilla Chips 
Red Onion Chopped
Cucumber Chopped
Hot Sauce

y

Left Over Pizza Breakfast

Ok, I will accept that our days of eating cold left-over pizza standing at the kitchen counter are over.

At least in front of the kids, right?

But I refuse to banish leftover pizza from my breakfast options.

Solution; stick it on a  parchment paper lined cookie sheet, crack a few eggs on top (the number depends on the number of slices and size of said slices - I go with about one egg per large slice.)

Place it in a pre-heated 350 degree oven and bake until the eggs are the consistency you and your family prefer; about 4-7 minutes.

It sounds so simple but I get treated like a culinary genius, at least until they're hungry for lunch......

Quichitas

These are kind of amazing.

They, also, are just a spring board for your creativity.

Sure you can go with the traditional breakfast items to fill them; bacon, sausage, spinach, onions, cheese but I’ve had just as much success with random leftovers. Think taco left overs; meat, beans, cheese, tomatoes. Or chicken, artichoke hearts and kale. Salmon, cream cheese, and capers. Really, if it has gone together as a meal it will most likely work in this.

I use the raw tortillas from Costco for half and leave half with no shell. Both are delicious. Here is a basic recipe but the idea is fill muffin tins with yummy food (precooked meats, which is why leftovers are so perfect) pour scramble egg mixture to fill cups about 2/3 of the way full, bake.

Here is a basic recipe to get you started:

6 raw tortilla shells

5 eggs

couple handfuls of spinach chopped

bacon (cooked)

1/2 cup of milk

shredded cheddar cheese

Toppings; Salsa, yogurt, avocado

Grease the muffin pan.

Cut tortillas in half. Bring ends to meet to make a funnel sort of shape and stuff into muffin cup. (It should look like a little pie crust, and it is ok if you stuff some down, you’re just lining the cup and making the crust.

If you don’t want to use tortillas skip the above step.

Divide the filling ingredients into each cup: spinach, bacon and cheese.

Beat eggs and milk and fill* each cup 2/3 full.

*I use a turkey baster to fill the cups with the eggs mixture.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until the centers don’t jiggle when you shake the pan.

Top with salsa, yogurt and avocado if desired.

These are great for breakfast on the go if you so need.